Ched Evans kicked into touch - at last.

[grimbletart]

At last Sheffield United have done the decent thing.

[www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30054475]

Good.

That'll knock him down a peg or six.

Glad I signed the petition.

Thank Chevans for that.

Good!

"The club condemns rape and violence of any kind against women in the strongest possible terms."

Better late than never.

Just waiting to hear this on the ITV News now. Glad but worried it will provoke yet another backlash.

I suspect it was the threat of losing the shirt sponsor rather than any real change of heart.

About sodding time.

I'd think the shirt sponsorship thing isn't so strong here.

There would still be lots of other local companies willing to take up the opportunity to have the coverage, despite the association with CE. Unfortunately.
I'm suspecting it's two things to do with personnel. One is Nigel Clough, the manager, who held a public line against re-signing CE insofar as he could as an employee, and who is seen as an investment for the club much longer term than one player. And he is Brian Clough's son, who's value-base about this sort of stuff is imaginable.
And secondly the current playing staff. The scenes at training must have been interesting. Who wants to share digs/exercises/drinks with a notorious individual? I'd reckon no-one.

The resignations, or threatened ones, would have had an immense impact, of course. Prob Jessica H-E and the response to her statement would have had a very strong impact?

All of this places CE out of a job essentially. A pariah in any paid footie employment.

2 local companies pulled out of sponsorship, another was going to reconsider its sponsorship if they resigned CE. The patron who seems to have caused the most sadness by his leaving has been Paul Heaton, who is an actual fan and male.

More and more blades fans have come out and stated that they don't want a rapist at the club, so I would suggest that that also had a strong bearing on it. I've spoken to several fans on Twitter who have changed their minds about it all, a couple of hem became vocal supporters of the campaign. Few people wanted their children cheering for a rapist on the terraces.

I hope SUFC goes from strength to strength, they have shown they take a firm line against VAWG eventually . I hope other clubs take note. Rapists and other violent criminals have no place in football. Especially unrepentant ones. The campaign will continue should any other professional team look like signing him.

Not sure why you crossed out "and male" there re Paul Heaton, Puffins?

When Richard Scudamore's offensive text were made public the week before he presented the Premiership Trophy to Man City (that hurt) he was roundly boo-ed by the crowd in the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. Oddly, males have a very strong hand to play in this.

Are you not, Pan?

Need me to spell out the different reactions he, J E-H and CW got when they resigned? Or do you merely want to see what I post in the worst possible light?

No not at all. I'd think the threat from Jessica H-E, and the reaction to that, triggered far more of a 'sadness', stock-taking at SUFC, and also outrage, tbh. The 'worst poss. light' comment is just silly.

Apology accepted.

Okkaaaayyyy.

Oh c'mon Pan, I don't think PH got any rape threats, did he?

Umm..no he hasn't Yonic, but that isn't the bar that's been set, is it? It's the questionable level of impact on the decisions, and I'd posit that J E-H's statement was far more 'sadness' worthy, and so effective, than PH's patron status. Puffins would appear to disagree.

But it's dancing on the heads of pins, quite a lot. CE has been rejected both as an individual, and as a concept.

It's been a good week for women's rights, Dapper Laughs, Julien Blanc and now Ched. Yay us!

Not sure why you crossed out "and male" there re Paul Heaton, Puffins?

Oddly, males have a very strong hand to play in this.

Question answered.

Very pleased to hear this. I would feel so differently if Ched Evans had shown even the slightest sign of rehabilitation- or even told his fanclub to stop further abusing his victim.

But his stance of "I'm no rapist" - no way.

Paul Heaton did get a lot of abuse (look at the Facebook thread), although no rape threats that I'm aware of.

Have looked, Buck, on the most recent comments the positive well outweigh the negative, but then assume PH can moderate FB, unlike twitter!

Anyway, whatever worked, and suspect it was many things together - it's done.

I disagree with Pan. JEH is a prominent Olympian who said she would have her name taken off [a stand was it?] if the rapist CE was reinstated. Not only is she showing that she is standing by her principles, she is encouraging others to stand by their principles as well. She is clearly well respected (otherwise why would her name be used on a stand), and that respect carries weight.

Also it becomes very bad publicity when your sponsors start pulling out of their contracts with you. These contracts often have Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) actually written into the contract, as terms of the contract itself. If a sponsor views that you are unable to fulfill the KPIs of a contract, they have the discretionary power to terminate the contract itself (also written into the contract). Companies sponsor individuals or other groups because they view that the relationship will bring them some sort of positive favour with their target market. Thus if sponsors start pulling out, its an indication that they no longer have any faith that you can provide the positives that they originally thought the relationship would bring. This has the effect of making other possible sponsors think twice about whether they will sponsor you either.

HTH

Shame it was done on the back of any of this. Actually, shame it needed to be done at all. Any person or club with even the slightest bit if decency wouldn't have even been in the position SU put themselves into.
I feel sorry for the decent fans of theirs, knowing their club has sunk to this.

I'm thrilled that sense has finally been seen but I will correct an earlier poster who said that the club have only just condemned violence against women. That sentence has been in all club statements on the topic as far as I know.

For true fans of the club this is a real victory. That man has been the most destructive force I've known of at Bramall Lane in over 30 years of being a fan. From a footballing perspective, if he hadn't committed rape he would have been available to continue playing for the club at a crucial point in a potential promotion season. When I was a child the club prided itself on being "The Family Club" and I look forward to the day that is once again held true.

I also look forward to Ched Evans accepting responsibility for his actions and asking for his supporters to call off their campaign against his victim.

Sky News are reporting that Jim Phipps, the co-chairman at the club is not happy they have been forced to stop him training, so it seems there hasn't been a change of heart at the club, they're just bowing to public / sponsor pressure.

It is totally sickening.